Data objects and other stored data, such as files in a file system, can be modified and over-written many times during the course of data production and use. Since a backup application or system can capture a state of a set of data, e.g., a file, as it exists at the time an associated backup operation is performed, backup data can be used to obtain a previous version of data, such as a file, captured during a previous backup operation. Obtaining a version of a file or other data from associated backup data typically involves determining the appropriate backup source (e.g., a specific backup tape containing the desired file version), using the backup source to restore an associated data set (e.g., a set of production data as it existed at a time at which a backup operation associated with the backup source was performed), and searching or browsing to determine if the desired file version is present in the restored data set.
If the specific location of a desired version of a file is not known, finding the desired version can be difficult. In some cases, it may be necessary to search multiple individual backup sources to locate a desired version. For example, when searching for all versions of files containing a specific keyword, in addition to searching the production storage, e.g., using a production search utility (e.g., Microsoft Windows Explorer), all applicable removable backup media, backup hard drives, and networked storage units containing backup data might have to be individually restored and searched as described above. Once the desired files are located, the relationship between the files typically would have to be determined separately and it might be necessary to use one or more other applications and/or utilities to obtain the desired version(s) from the applicable data source(s). Therefore, there exists a need to efficiently locate one or more desired versions of a data object or other related data in a universe of data that may include one or more sets of backup data.